Serato v Traktor

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So at the meat I completely forgot to ask Oxy and Wrx about the pros and cons. So i'll put it to everyone. I'm getting a Pioneer DDJ-SB it comes bundled with Serato Intro but was wondering which would be better Traktor or Serato?

It will mainly be for bedroom use to learn so the software that shows more information on what's happening would be good.

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However I suggest learning by not using any of the info on the screen, as it makes it harder to step up to other equipment, and you don't learn what you're actually doing properly

seconded

i run traktor as a backup in case my usb + sd cards fail (rarely ever going to happen + every now and then i like to search for something special) because ive used traktor over a number of years and i have alot of old stuff in there that would be to time consuming to convert for use on usb/ in serato

most club dj's i see nowadays use serato as the crate system and hud is alittle better. both are usb plug and play unless you want to use vinyl. i would suggest serato

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I don't know much on either, I bought Traktor mainly so I could use midi fighters and stuff, even then I think I've only used traktor once since the melbourne meat when I used it to record the sets we did, just have a look at both layouts and see what you prefer, you have to be comfortable with what you're using,

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Agreed brother' date=' would also be good if people would give their opinions as to why they're choosing serato or traktor. It goes a long way when the next new guy comes along wondering what to go for.[/quote']

just a quick lulz.

tbh i think traktor was better analyzing tracks than serato.

just sucks you can directly import your playlists from rekordbox into traktor, not sure about serato

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would also be good if people would give their opinions as to why they're choosing serato or traktor.

traktor pros for me

HID with cdjs without the use of an sound card like serato.

the remix decks make for some cool live shit

traktor cons

its a fucking ballache when something goes wrong

it's a pain in the ass to map 3rd party controllers

traktor scratch vinyl control can be a bit unstable sometimes

sound cards take too long to set up with a mixer compared to serato

interface is a mess

serato pros

it's build for idiots. extremely simple to use

interface is cleaner

simple amount of effects

easy to map controllers

serato is basically plug and play

serato cons

sound cards are too expensive

you need the sound card for everything otherwise serato just becomes an audio player with no functionality

reason for me opting to use traktor

i got it dirt cheap and i needed to it for the gay little pub gigs that had no decks.

my Traktor rating out of 10

7/10

when traktor is working at 100% it's great but i've always had some kind of problem everytime i fire up traktor. the remix decks are a slight pain in the ass for me and if i was using it full time i'd likely opt for the launch pad with abelton.

Serato rating out of 10

8/10

it's just stupidly expensive for the sound card. other than that, the pioneer controllers that come with it are pretty snazzy and are perfect for mixing. it's stupidly simple to use, plug and play and you're away.

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would also be good if people would give their opinions as to why they're choosing serato or traktor.

traktor pros for me

HID with cdjs without the use of an sound card like serato.

^what does that mean? Lol

Great answer. So it's looking like it's all preference i'll have a crack at both get used to both then pick one to use and keep the other as backup.

so HID basically means you can use the CDJ's as controllers with traktor and serato. with traktor you can just plug the CDJ's into your laptop via usb. with serato, you need to run the cdjs into the sound card.

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would also be good if people would give their opinions as to why they're choosing serato or traktor.

traktor pros for me

HID with cdjs without the use of an sound card like serato.

the remix decks make for some cool live shit

traktor cons

its a fucking ballache when something goes wrong

it's a pain in the ass to map 3rd party controllers

traktor scratch vinyl control can be a bit unstable sometimes

sound cards take too long to set up with a mixer compared to serato

interface is a mess

serato pros

it's build for idiots. extremely simple to use

interface is cleaner

simple amount of effects

easy to map controllers

serato is basically plug and play

serato cons

sound cards are too expensive

you need the sound card for everything otherwise serato just becomes an audio player with no functionality

reason for me opting to use traktor

i got it dirt cheap and i needed to it for the gay little pub gigs that had no decks.

my Traktor rating out of 10

7/10

when traktor is working at 100% it's great but i've always had some kind of problem everytime i fire up traktor. the remix decks are a slight pain in the ass for me and if i was using it full time i'd likely opt for the launch pad with abelton.

Serato rating out of 10

8/10

it's just stupidly expensive for the sound card. other than that, the pioneer controllers that come with it are pretty snazzy and are perfect for mixing. it's stupidly simple to use, plug and play and you're away.

everyone is entitled to their opinion, this is mine

Excellent write up from someone who has used both.

I haven't. I've only used Traktor with a NI S4, and as Labrat said this just works flawlessly every time, as it should being the same company and symbiotic products.

Really I would just go with whatever software the particular controller is designed for.

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would also be good if people would give their opinions as to why they're choosing serato or traktor.

traktor pros for me

HID with cdjs without the use of an sound card like serato.

^what does that mean? Lol

Great answer. So it's looking like it's all preference i'll have a crack at both get used to both then pick one to use and keep the other as backup.

so HID basically means you can use the CDJ's as controllers with traktor and serato. with traktor you can just plug the CDJ's into your laptop via usb. with serato, you need to run the cdjs into the sound card.

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Serato is always my preference, I have traktor built in to my z2 mixer, and damn it would be much easier without the external sl box to connect thru, but I haven't yet done a gig with traktor purely because I need many more hours experience with the software and it has sooooo many features!

My main gripe with Traktor is the layout, imho the record/platter icons should be bigger and si metrical and the wave forms should be running side by side like serato. Surelybthis makes sense for visual beat matching? I know we all like to think we can do it purely by ear, but lets face it, sometimes when you're a little tipsy or your foldback/booth monitors are too quiet, being able to see at a glance your kcicks and snares matched up is a great help.

Traktor had its pros as well, browsing is better, the fx are much better and once I got my software up to date, the tracking is slightly more accurate too.

I plan to spend more time on traktor, as more people are using it for dvs at the gigs ive played recently. Serato was the std for a long time in hip hop tho.

My Z2 was half the price of any rane mixer with serato inbuilt and I feel has a better feel to it and build quality.

Either one gets the job done and I have seen amazing shit done on both! Lol

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Personally I like Serato if for no other reason than Serato DJ comes bundled with many controllers. Might sound like a silly point, still makes it easier to reinstall and update when you don't have to worry about serial numbers. I've had to reinstall while standing behind my NS7 watching guests turning up to a function - bad time for my gear to play up.

In terms of functionality, I like Serato DJ's interface. Easy to use, quick to learn.